York: There will be a season in some way, shape or form

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York spoke Monday night at the team’s state of the franchise, discussing a few topics, including the depth of the NFC West:

The Seahawks, the way the regular-season ended last year. Obviously, there’s a huge awesome rivalry between us and those guys up north. Is there a better division from top to bottom in the NFL? You’ve got a young quarterback [Kyler Murray] who reminds you a lot of Russ [Wilson] and things he can do to make plays from anywhere on the field. And you have the Rams who, by the way, were in the Super Bowl a few years ago. This is not an easy division, so it has to start with the NFC West, and it’s going to be a very difficult place to start, but there’s going to be a lot of awesome football this year.”

Many of us expect the 49ers to win anywhere between 11 and 13 games, but I don’t think anyone is expecting the team to blow the doors off each opponent. It’ll be tough to top last year’s excitement, but the schedule should make for another fun year of football.

York also told Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports’ “there will be a season in some way, shape, or form. After seeing the progress of reopening, I am confident in that.” York continued discussing the plan in place when the 49ers meet for training camp:

“Our medical staff has done an incredible job planning protocols and procedures for when we start up again. I know our players and staff are ready and excited to get things rolling.”

I doubt I’m the only one thinking this, but I’ve been going back and forth on whether there will be a complete season. It’s hard to imagine going a month without a significant player missing time after testing positive for COVID. Then again, we don’t know what procedures are put in place. The wait and see approach isn’t instilling confidence, but there’s not much else we can do. The NFL has made themselves clear about having a season, and York’s confidence backs that up.